ANSWERS: Charadagrams

It's been roughly two weeks since I posted my "Charadagrams" puzzle (which you can still solve here, with the easier version located here), so it's time for me to reveal the answers! But first, a list of people who have solved it:

• Grant Fikes **
• Sam Levitin **
• Eric Maddy **
• Adam Weaver **
• Debbie Underwood **
• Tyler Hinman **
• Christian H.P. **
• Walker Anderson **
• Lynn Sweeney *

Now just go below the break for the answers, along with some solver comments, a music video mentioned in my puzzle, and some pretty pictures!

Here's how the rebuses are formed (in the order of the puzzle's original version):

* [RICH]+[AGAINST]+[LAURIE]= CHRI/STINA AG/UILERA

* [ETCH]+[MOM]+[RODEOS]= THE C/OMM/ODORES

* [OGRE]+[WAGES]+[NOTHING]= GEOR/GE WAS/HINGTON

* [NUDIST]+[AIR]+[MALLET]= INDUST/RIA/L METAL

* [SAMSA]+[SUCH]+[TEST]= MASSA/CHUS/ETTS

* [ANTI]+[ANGELO]+[ARGO]+[CHIP]= NATI/ONAL GE/OGRA/PHIC

* [PITCHER]+[SIE]+[GIRTH]= THE PRIC/E IS/ RIGHT

* [TIGERS]+[RETREAD]+[EDMARK]= REGIST/ERED TRA/DEMARK

* [RELISH]+[EMPTY]+[ELS]= SHIRLE/Y TEMP/LES

* [PURSE]+[AMIR]+[NODAL]= SUPER/ MARI/O LAND

* [RUT]+[COHORT]+[QUEENS]+[CENS]= TRU/TH OR CO/NSEQUE/NCES

* [WHITE]+[RIND]+[ESS]= THE WI/ND RI/SES

The grey squares spell out CHIME GALLEON, which can be scrambled to spell out the FINAL ANSWER: MICHE/LANGELO

Solver Grant Fikes, who created the original format of this puzzle, said that "FWIW, in my puzzle, I deliberately kept the WHOLES clues vague to make it harder to fill those answers in without having some idea what the pieces were (so I might have clued THE PRICE IS RIGHT as the less obvious "Game show first hosted by Bill Cullen"). I also tried to avoid having splits coincide with word breaks. CHIME+GALLEON was a nice find, though, and definitely on par with my HOGS+BUTTRESS [GHOS/TBUSTERS] which inspired the entire puzzle. :)"

Solver Sam Levitin got annoyed by an inconsistency between the online version and the printable version: "You revised the prompt! When I printed out the puzzle this morning, you were looking for 'a fictional character.' Now that I've solved it, I find you've made it easier by adding the bit about historical figure. Hmph." [For the record, the bit about the historical figure was there from the start, but not in the printable version, since I had already made the printable version before I decided to add the bit about the historical figure in the online version when I was drafting it. Moral of the story: make sure the online and printable versions match up!]

Solver Eric Maddy was stuck at first, since he was looking for a first and last name, but then I clarified via e-mail that the FINAL ANSWER consisted of a single word, and then he said "Well, THAT makes it easy. Michelangelo. (The turtle, not the artist). I was so locked into first and last name that I never saw it."

Solver Adam Weaver got stumped on the whole first-and-last-name thing too: "I was stuck on the final answer for a while trying to make it two names... Michelle ango? Gano? Gnoa? Felt very silly when I saw it."